AJ Footprint's pick of the greenest Small Projects

From retrofit to temporary structures, from a floating tidemill to a cowshed, green ingenuity shines through in many projects this year

Compiling the shortlist for the AJ Small Projects Sustainability award was tougher than ever this year. A higher number of entries overall – 229 – combined with an ever-increasing number with sustainability either implicit or explicit in the projects also made the winnowing process for Footprint’s pick of the Best of the Rest much more arduous. Almost 50 projects, or 20 per cent of the projects, made my initial cut. Just five years ago, I could count them on two hands. Even though this makes the task more complex and time-consuming, it is proof that more and more small practices are honing their green design skills.

Kobayashi Architects elegant glazed extension in Magdala Mews, Edinburgh takes a different approach with over 70 per cent glazing to floor area ratio, not inherently a ‘sustainable solution’ but made more so by utilising NBT’s perforated fired clay block Thermoplan as the main construction material, triple-glazing throughout and a sedum roof.

One of the more charming projects is the Callan Cowshed in County Kilkenny, Ireland by The Cowshed Collective, a group of recent graduates from University College, Dublin. Salvaged bricks, telegraph poles, plywood and galvanised sheets were incorporated into the project. The roof gathers rainwater which is fed into a tank which sits partially inside and outside the shed, serving both shed and yard. But mostly, it is beautiful to behold like vernacular barns of yesteryear.

Callan Cowshed

Constructed by reusing existing materials, the Callan Cowshed was constructed in three weeks with an emphasis on skills exchange by volunteers as part of an architectural summer school.

Emigre Studios Rooftop

Architect: Me & Sam

Location: London

Total cost: £8,000

By transforming a redundant rooftop space over an arts studio building in Hackney, this temporary bar features timber clad sheds and furniture made from reclaimed materials.

Carrick Mill

Architect: Tom Jenkins

Location: Fife, Scotland

Total cost: £175,000

The studio follows a minimalistic approach using materials of high thermal mass such as stone and well-insulated timber. The building achieves 10.9kgCO2/m². South-facing windows admit plentiful natural light while blinds prevent overheating.

ContemPLAY pavilion

Architect: McGill School of Architecture

Location: McGill University, Canada

Total cost: £25,155

The pavilion is a socially sustainable public infrastructure project that questions the current trend in public space furniture through digital fabrication techniques.

Flow

Architect: Nicholas Kirk Architects

Location: Newcastle

Total cost: £220,000

A floating structure comprised of a floating hull, waterwheel and millhouse to exhibit instruments and artwork, this project was open to the public for six months during 2012.

JOIAN

Architect: Juice Architects

Location: London

Total cost: £223,000

This extension and remodelling of a family home features highly insulated timber frame construction, rain water harvesting, deep cantilevered soffits and solar water heating panels.

Magdala Mews

Architect: Kobayashi Architects

Location: Edinburgh

Total cost: £130,000

Extension of an outshoot to a Grade B-Listed garden dwelling into a living space, the main construction material is perforated fireclay block which prevented the addition of extra insulation. Heat loss is minimised by triple glazing and a sedum roof deck.

Movement Cafe

Architect: Studio Myerscough

Location: London

Total cost: £150,000

Eye catching temporary cafe designed and built in sixteen days with shipping containers and hand painted exterior plywood cladding. The work surfaces and all the furniture are made from reclaimed laboratory tops.

Siwa House

Architect: Child Graddon Lewis

Location: Egypt

Total cost: £25,000

Using a wise selection of local materials and craftsmanship to survive in the harsh desert climate, this dwelling also features a traditional wind tower to induce passive cooling.

The Shade House

Architect: Sheffield School of Architecture Live Project

Location: Manchester

Total cost: £1,154

A collaborative project between students from The University of Sheffield and Hulme Community Garden Centre. The curved timber structure and bamboo cladding is designed to attract attention to the Garden Centre.

Town House Islington

Architect: Powell Tuck Associates

Location: London

Total cost: £150,000

The refurbishment and extension of a terraced house with increased natural daylighting, internal wall insulation, roof & ground insulation and double glazing. The refurbishment resulted in a 20 per cent space increase and CO2 emissions reduced by 66 per cent.

Victorian Mews House

Architect: Sanya Polescuk Architects

Location: London

Total cost: £240,000

A successful retrofit of a former Victorian mews house into an architects’ studio space by integrating old and new and wrapping up with insulation.

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